Growing Up
by Junebugsm
Summary: Stef and Lena help Mariana as she goes through puberty.


**Stef and Lena help Mariana as she goes through puberty.**

(A request by Fostersfanaticcc1 where Mariana goes through puberty and Stef and Lena help her through. Hope you like it.)

* * *

><p>"What are you doing?" Brandon and Jesus asked with disgusted looks on their faces when they entered their sister's room to find her holding one of Stef's bras up against her body and modeling in front of the mirror.<p>

"Nothing." Mariana said, quickly spinning around as she dropped the bra onto the floor hoping the boy's wouldn't see it.

"Didn't look like nothing." Brandon said as Jesus ran into the room and picked up the bra from the floor and began to model it the way Mariana had done.

Both boys giggled excitedly as they fidgeted with the bra while Mariana looked on in embarrassment. She was mortified that her brother's had caught her but she couldn't explain it. She just felt something different inside and suddenly she was more conscious of her body and she found herself desperately wanting to know more about it. As she had held the bra up against her flat chest she had wondered how long till she could fill a bra that big. She had seen the smaller ones for little girls in the shops with pink bows and no hooks on the back but she had been too shy and embarrassed to go over and look at them when they had gone to buy new panties for her. Both her mom's were with her and even though neither of the boys were around she still couldn't find the courage to go and have a look. Instead she had gotten her hands on one of Stef's instead and used it to imagine what her body would look like in a few years.

By now the squeals from the boys were getting louder as Brandon had the bra over his head while Jesus pulling the straps down the sides of his face to flatten the cups over his ears.

"Let me try." Jesus quickly said pulling the bra from Brandon.

But brandon held on and pulled back. "No, you already had your turn." He said and soon a game of tug-of-war ensued that resulted in louder giggles and squeals.

* * *

><p>Stef and Lena were already on their way upstairs to send the kids to bed when they heard the sudden commotion and both mom's instantly quickened their step. They entered Mariana's room to find her standing in a corner looking on with a red face while both boys tugged at something in the center of the room.<p>

"What's going on in here?" Stef asked in a loud voice, hoping to get their attention over their laughter and shouting.

Suddenly the room went silent as all three children stared at their moms, Stef's bra still being held by both boys but no longer tugged by either.

It was only once the commotion had died down did either mom figure out what the boys were fighting over.

"Where did you get that?" Lena asked in shock as Stef reached across to take the bra from the boys who immediately let it go.

"Mariana was playing with it." Jesus quickly said, hoping they'd be in less trouble since she was a girl.

Instantly everyone turned to Mariana who was still standing in the corner, looking extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable. The mom's realized that they needed to talk to the girl alone but they also realize that tonight wasn't the night. It was already past their bedtime and Mariana needed some time to get over her embarrassment or else she would just stay silent and become unresponsive.

"Okay, get to bed, all of you." Stef said in a no-nonsense voice. "It's already late, we let you stay up an extra half hour."

Obediently both boys headed towards their own rooms while Mariana remained frozen in her spot. It wasn't that she as afraid, she knew neither of her moms would hurt her even if they were angry but is was more embarrassed and uncomfortable that she had been caught. She couldn't decide though, which was worse, having the moms know or having the boys know. On the one hand the boys were boys and the mom's were girls but on the other the boys were kids and probably wouldn't understand most of it just like she herself didn't while the moms would ask her questions or worse, talk to her about it.

"Let's get you to bed." Lena said as Stef went to get the boys tucked in. "We'll talk about this in the morning but for now it's bed time."

Mariana groaned inwardly as her fear was coming true but she did as her mom asked and soon she was alone, tucked safely into her bed, thinking about what had just happened and how to get out of what was to come.

Meanwhile both mom's also went to bed giggling as they finally stopped to consider just what had happened. They knew that they needed to talk to Mariana and figure out what she was thinking when she took the bra and maybe even the boys too if they showed further curiosity but for now, away from the kids, the moms could just laugh about the whole thing.

* * *

>But six hours later the whole house woke to a bloodcurdling scream and both mom's were up in an instant and rushing into Mariana's room with the boys close behind to find her sitting up rigidly in bed with the covers tucked snugly around her right up to her chin, her eyes wide with worry and fear written all over her face.<p><p>

Each mom took a seat on either side of Mariana as the boys looked on awkwardly from the doorway.

"What's wrong baby?" Lena asked soothingly as Stef tried to lift the girl to bring her closer to them.

But Mariana just remained ridged as she stared fearfully into space, too afraid to even look at her moms.

"Honey, come here." Stef said gently, hoping the girl to allow them to help her. Though Mariana had opened up a lot in the last three and a half years and even more so since the adoption, she still tended to retreat whenever something different happened but they hadn't seen her this afraid in a long time and they were worried that whatever progress she had made was being erased. They couldn't figure out what had caused her to be so afraid. It couldn't have possibly been a nightmare because she would have allowed them to comfort her.

"Tell us what happened Mariana." Lena coaxed again as she brushed hair off Mariana's sweaty face.

"Nothing." Mariana said quickly. "I'm sorry I woke you." Hoping that her moms would just leave her alone to figure things out for herself. She tried to lie down again, hoping it would cause Stef and Lena to go back to bed as well but the movement only loosened the covers around her enough for Stef to pull them away.

And that's when she saw it, all the blood on Mariana's pajama pants and bed and she immediately understood what had frightened the little girl so much. Stef and Lena exchanged a look as they quickly covered her up again and then Stef got up to usher the boys back to bed so they could deal with Mariana in private.

"Come on boys." Stef said as she gently pushed them out they they both fought to stay behind. "We're taking care of her but it's a school night so you need to get back to bed." She finally got them both out and took them to their room. Jesus first and then Brandon, tucking them both in with a kiss, much to their embarrassment. At ten and eleven both boys thought themselves too old for their moms to kiss them.

"Stay there." Stef warned one last time before she headed back to Mariana's room to find Lena, trying unconvincingly to let Mariana know that she was safe.

They began to realize that Mariana wasn't afraid of them like they thought but instead afraid of what was happening to her. So far, this much blood had always meant something bad and with Mariana still being only ten neither mom had had the talk with her yet. They assumed that they had at least another year but probably with all the stress that the young girl had been though over the years, she started her period early.

"Let's go to our room and get you cleaned up okay." Lena said as she tried to uncover Mariana again but this time the girl clung to the covers and held them tight. "It's okay baby. You're okay." Lena continued to try and calm her down.

Stef watched for a few minutes but Mariana didn't move so Stef went and picked her up off the bed, cover and all and just held her. Mariana had grown to like being held and no matter how afraid she was or how embarrassed, she melted into her mother's arms.

As Stef took Mariana to their bathroom and started the shower Lena stripped Mariana's bed of the sheets and covers to throw for a wash. She then pulled out a clean pair of pajamas from Mariana's drawers and took it all into her bathroom. She threw the sheets into the washer and then joined Stef and Mariana at the tub. Stef was softly talking to Mariana telling her not to worry and that they'd get her cleaned up and dress and explain it all to her.

In the last year or two Mariana had grown and preferred privacy when she showered and changed just like the boys but occasionally the mom's were present during these times but Mariana would try to protest. Today however, she was afraid and now that they knew she really didn't want them to leave her alone. Stef helped Mariana wash up and then dried her up and sat her down on the toilet while Lena grabbed a packet of pads from the cupboard. Neither woman used them much but kept a packet on hand for gyno appointments.

Lena then showed Mariana how to wear a pad and that it would soak up all the blood and she would have to change it every three or four hours. Stef then handed her the pajamas that Lena had brought and then took the silent girl over to their bed to talk.

* * *

>"What's happening to me?" Mariana finally asked in a small voice as she looked at her moms.<p><p>

"You, my love, are growing up." Stef said with a smile.

Mariana looked at her strangely, wondering how this was growing up or a good thing for that matter. "Am I hurt?" She asked skeptically.

"No sweetheart." Lena said. "You have what's called your period and it's something that will happen to you for about five days every month until you're about forty five or fifty years old.

"EVERY MONTH?" Mariana asked in shock as her eyes went wide once more.

"Yes." Lena said. "It may take a while to settle completely but once it does it will happen every month."

"Why?" Mariana asked.

"Your body is changing and developing so that when you're older and ready you can have a baby someday." Lena explained.

"What if I don't want babies?" Mariana asked, thinking that she didn't need a baby ever if she could avoid all this.

"You will one day and getting your period means that you are absolutely normal and there is nothing wrong with you." Lena said firmly.

"Every month an egg is released inside your body and if you're not ready to have a baby yet then the egg and the lining that holds the egg comes out of your body through your period." Stef explained. "It's not a bad thing and though it looks scary now, you'll get used to it."

"Does it happen to you?" Mariana asked, feeling both shy and curious at the same time.

"Yes, it does." Both women answered. "It happens to every girl." Stef added.

"But you never bleed like that." Mariana said, trying to think of a time when her moms had blood all over them.

"I did, the first time I got it, just like you." Lena explained.

"So did I." Stef confirmed. "It happens to everyone and it'll happen to you a few more times as well but you'll learn what to do and how to manage so don't worry. We're here to help you."

"And by the end of the year they will even explain it all to you in school too." Lena went on. "They usually have a health and sex education class at the end of the fifth grade. You're just a little early."

"Why?" Mariana asked, of all the things she wished didn't happen so soon, this was definitely top of her list.

"Most girls get their period around twelve but sometimes some girls get it earlier and some get it later." Lena explained. "There are many factors that affect when a girl gets her period but the average range is ten to about fourteen."

"I wish I could wait till I was fourteen." Mariana said in disgust.

"You'll get used to it honey, it's not so bad." Stef sympathized.

"So if I'm early does that mean none of the other girls have it yet?" Mariana asked, hating the fact that there was yet another thing that made her different from her classmates.

"Probably not." Lena said. "But within a year or two they should all get it."

"Well I think they're lucky." Mariana said, squirming a little at the discomfort she felt with the pad between her legs.

Stef and Lena smiled at her remembering how they had felt all those years ago.

"We are going to leave the pads in our bathroom for a while." Stef said. "That way we can help you till you learn properly and you don't have to worry about the boys. Then we'll move them into your bathroom."

"But what about you?" Mariana asked. "Won't you need them?"

"We don't use pads anymore." Stef continued to explain. "We now use tampons, they are little tubes of cotton that go inside the vagina and into the body and when you're a little older you'll start using those too but for now it's only pads for you."

"Inside me?" Mariana asked, a little unsure. "Does it hurt?"

"No honey," Stef smiled. "It doesn't. But don't worry about that right now, we'll explain it to you when we get there."

Mariana sat silently for a few minutes taking it all in and then her head snapped up to look back at her moms.

"This only happens to girls?" She asked, suddenly remembering that Stef said it happens to every _girl_.

"Yes, this only happens to girls but there are other things that happen only to boys." Stef said.

"What else will happen to me?" Mariana asked curiously.

"Well, for girls once they reach puberty, that's this stage, they get their period, their breasts begin to grow and they start to grow hair under their arms and in their pubic area." Stef said.

Suddenly Mariana could understand that strange feeling she had when she took Stef's bra from the hamper. Maybe her breasts were ready to grow too.

Both moms seemed to have had the same thought because Stef addressed it.

"Is that why you took my bra today?" Stef asked gently, so as not to make Mariana feel like she was in trouble.

"I just wanted to know what it felt like to have one." Mariana explained, she was past being embarrassed now and mostly just curious and a little bit afraid of what changes were yet to come. "My chest kinda feels weird sometimes."

"That's because they're growing and changing. Soon we might need to get you a couple of bras of your own." Lena said.

"I want my own bra." Mariana said, finally excited about something. It was something she felt would make her very grown up. The period she could do without but a bra would really make her the envy of every girl in her class.

We'll get you some soon okay." Stef promised. "We'll get you a couple of starter bras that are only for getting used to so that when you actually need them you don't feel so uncomfortable anymore."

"Can we get them this weekend?" Mariana asked excitedly. "I saw the ones with the little pink bows. I want those."

Both women smiled at their daughter, glad that she wasn't so afraid anymore and was talking to them openly about all the changes. It was something they had worried about a little when they first decided to adopt the twins. They were still so reserved all the time and this was a big change and the talk was often uncomfortable but Mariana had settled well and as a result the talk had gone well.

"So what happens to boys?" Mariana asked, still curious.

"For boys, their penises grow much larger and they start growing facial hair, hair under their arms and in their grown too. They also get more hair on their bodies, their voice gets deeper and their testicles start to produce sperm, which is what helps the girl make a baby." Lena explained in brief.

"But they don't bleed?" Mariana asked, sill sort of upset that is particular feature is only for the girls.

"No, they don't." Lena said. "But they have something called 'wet dreams' which starts like it did for you. Their testicles produce sperm with come out of their penis while they sleep. It looks like they wet the bed but they really have no control over it for the first few years so it's important that if you ever see that happening you don't make fun of them."

"Do they have to wear pads every month?" Mariana asked.

"No." Lena said. "For them it stops in a few months or a few years. It doesn't happen all the time to them."

"That's not fair." Mariana grumbled.

Both mom's laughed. They had thought the same thing over the years and knew that probably every girl felt that way at some point in her life.

"It's just all so new for you honey." Stef said. "Eventually it'll just become part of your routine and it won't be such a big deal."

"But you said it will take a while to come again?" Mariana asked hopefully.

"Probably not for another few months." Lena said. "It usually takes a while to settle."

"Good." Mariana said gratefully. "Hopefully it'll take a long time to settle."

Stef and Lena smiled as they glanced at the clock and realized that two hours had passed since they had woken up.

"Okay, bed time." Stef said as she pulled the covers down for Mariana to crawl into the middle, something Mariana did without a fuss. She had gotten used to sleeping between them over the years and today she definitely didn't want to be alone, especially if she had to change in a few hours.

"Can I stay home from school tomorrow?" Mariana asked hopefully. "Just tomorrow. I don't want to go with this, please."

Both moms glanced at each other and silently agreed that Mariana could stay home for one day until she learned how to change her pads and take care of herself properly.

"Yes." Stef said, extracting a huge grin and sigh of relief from their daughter. "I'll stay home with you tomorrow but Thursday, you're back to school missy."

"Promise." Mariana said as her moms tucked her in with hugs and kisses and then headed to the bathroom to talk for a few minutes.

* * *

>"I thought we have at least another year before we had to do that." Stef said honestly. She had been nervous at first but really, she had to admit that the talk had gone well.<p><p>

"So did I." Lena agreed. "But it may not be so surprising." She added. "Stress can cause an early period and that girl has had a lot of stress since she was toddler."

"She doesn't have any stress here." Stef pointed out happily, glad that they had been able to provide a safe and stress-free home for the kids."

"Not as much." Lena agreed. "But there are still some insecurities there that will take a while longer to go away."

"I'm just glad we have them now and can protect them from everything." Stef said. "I can't even imagine what they would have gone through had they not come to us." She shuddered at the thought.

"We don't have to worry about that, now do we?" Lena smiled as she leaned in to kiss her wife, knowing that having seen a lot of bad things through her job, she could clearly picture her two children suffering in that way.

"No we don't." Stef smiled back, letting go of her worries and hugging Lena close.

"But maybe we shouldn't wait to talk to the boys for too long." Lena said.

Stef groaned. "Can't we get Mike to do that?" She asked teasingly.

Lena smiled at Stef. "Better to get them prepared beforehand."

"True." Stef said. "But one at a time, we don't want to embarrass them."

"We can do that." Lena agreed. "The next time my mom takes Mariana to the salon, we'll deal with the boys."

The two women held each other for a few more minutes before joining their sleeping daughter in bed and just watching her, both happy yet sad at the same time that their little girl was growing up so fast.


End file.
